"Earlier, I exchanged some information with Riene, Liers, and Elsyia. They told me something quite important," Fujimiya muttered."First, they said this country used to be prosperous… until the nobles lost their minds over wealth. They started committing corruption, drowning in debt, and enforcing policies that benefited themselves while hurting the people. Eventually, the kingdom was buried in debt. And since this land is a hybrid nation—where humans, spirits, and elves live together—greed became the root of its downfall."
"Hey, hey, Fujimiya! Why are you so quiet?" Riene called out.
Fujimiya snapped back to reality."Ah, sorry. I'm just tired from using the Exchange spell."
"So, do you already have a plan?" Riene asked.
"I do," Fujimiya replied calmly. "And the chance of success… is quite high."
Everyone fell silent, glancing at each other with a newfound trust in him.
"Really? You mean you can make this kingdom prosperous again in just a few months?" asked Kars skeptically.
Fujimiya raised both hands and showed seven fingers."I'll rebuild this kingdom's prosperity in seven days."
Everyone gasped in disbelief—except Riene, who noticed the sly smirk curling on Fujimiya's lips.
"So, what's your plan, Lord Fujimiya?" Kars asked again.
"Simple," Fujimiya said casually. "We'll ambush the noble who's currently recruiting knights. Once we reach his castle, we attack and eliminate him along with his forces."
Riene slammed her hand on the table."Are you insane? That plan has an almost zero chance of success!"
"From the start, I owe Elsyia and Liers my life," Fujimiya replied coldly. "I'd never harm them. And besides, I have access to Kars' facilities—it won't be that hard."
"Hard? This is suicide!" Riene shouted—only to be interrupted by Elsyia.
"Enough, Riene. If you won't follow Fujimiya's plan, then we will."
Fujimiya smiled faintly. "Good. Tomorrow, we'll target the nobles who are indebted to you all."
"In that case, let's start with the elder Cael," Elsyia said. "He's been stealing money and forcing debts on the people."
"Alright then. Let's rest. Tomorrow, we pay Cael a visit," Fujimiya declared.
They all left to return to their homes.
Fujimiya went back to his room, sat on a chair, and began writing a letter—addressed to someone unknown."You people should never trust anyone so easily," he whispered with a wicked grin.
The next day, Fujimiya's plan went into motion—but everything was already designed to fail.As expected, they were caught and thrown into the royal prison.
"Damn it, Ciel! How did you know about our plan?!" Riene screamed.
A shadow appeared beside Ciel."I told him," said the mysterious man.
Fujimiya's eyes widened in shock.Liers and Elsyia were also frozen, unable to believe their secret had been exposed.
"According to the law, all of you should be executed," Ciel said coldly. "But this kingdom has one absolute rule—no one may kill outside of a Death Game. So, you'll play with him."He gestured to the man beside him."He's one of the Death Game specialists. The Hide and Seek master."
The man stepped forward. "My name is Llyod. Let's have some fun."
"The game starts at 3 p.m.," Ciel added mockingly. "Try not to waste your time."
Hours later, they were gathered at the altar.
System: The Hide and Seek game has begun.Hunter: LlyodHiders: Fujimiya, Liers, Riene, Elsyia
When the countdown ended, Fujimiya suddenly sprinted straight toward the hunter.
"Hey, don't go that way!" Elsyia shouted, but Riene held her back."Let him. He's lost it."
Fujimiya faced Llyod head-on.As Llyod lunged, Fujimiya raised his middle finger with a smirk."You'll lose, Llyod."
Without hesitation, Llyod decapitated him. Fujimiya's head rolled to the ground—but even in death, his expression was that of amusement."Just as planned," he muttered with his final breath.
System: You have died.Reverting to checkpoint...
Fujimiya awoke in Elsyia and Liers' home.He immediately used Exchange to teleport to the top of a tall building.
"Everything went exactly as I predicted," he said, laughing darkly.
"I deliberately made that fake plan, wrote a letter to Llyod, and let them capture us. I even acted broken and insane in front of Ciel so he'd think Liers was the true mastermind. When I died, I returned to the first day I was summoned to this world… back before my battle with Kars."
He smiled into the wind."So, do you see how cunning I really am… my cute little spirit, Mei-chan?"
"You're truly dangerous," Mei's voice whispered faintly beside him.
Fujimiya chuckled."Now begins the infiltration phase… it's time to gather information."
To be continued...